this could be my dog...

see more puppies

happiness is...

I can't just narrow it down to one thing. Instead I will give you a short list of my current favorite things:

our newly added DVR option

fall-everything about it, even the cooler temps

my new knee-high steeler black and gold striped socks (compliments of the knitters at the Ren Faire)

knowing that I need to go shoe shopping for winter since I've been wearing nothing but flip flops since May

That's about it for now. My list changes often but those are the things that have made me smile the most lately. I just wanted to share. : )

imho

I'm not a big political activist, but I just want to share this website with people who may be looking for some info on Barrack Obama.

it's that time of year again...

football season! Now, for those of you who don't know, I am in a mixed marriage. That's right, my husband is a Buffalo Bills fan.

Stop laughing. The Bills have had some devastating losses in their past but this year looks hopeful. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a Steelers fan, but it would be nice for his team to have a winning season. It would be the first time in the eight years that I have known him.

J and I have attended two Steelers vs. Bills games since we have been together. The first was New Years Day 2005. In Buffalo. The Steelers third-stringers defeated the Bills first-string. It was really pitiful. The fans were not happy. I was just asking for it since I was in full Steelers regalia. One drunk guy decided to swear and point at me, as if it was MY fault that his team lost. We hurried back to our car.

The second game was just last year. It was the Steelers home-opener. The Steelers won again. People were shouting at J this time. Our friend Matt shouted back. We sat in peanut heaven, but it didn't matter, we were at Heinz field! A drunk guy two rows in front of us was escorted out. It was classic.

We had fun at both games. Last year we defintely had better weather. We are hoping to attend all the Pittsburgh/Buffalo games. Hopefully the fans will be nicer to us both.

hello

Agh!! Where has the summer gone? I'm sitting here typing this on a 65 degree day in August. I'm not ready for jeans and hoodies just yet, Mother Nature.

I've been a complete slacker and haven't posted in over two months *hanging head in shame*.

I won't post about my whole summer since June, no one really cares, but I will try to highlight some things.

We are getting a new roof on our house. We had other plans for the money that we will be spending on said roof, but unfortunately, it is a necessity so it is first priority. I am excited for the new look it will give our house, however, because the shingles are going to be a darker color. Normally it wouldn't matter because you can't see the roof, but we have a split entry home so it will be noticable.

For the first time ever I planted a vegetable garden. This year it was small, but I have plans to expand it next year. I have already gotten several zucchinis from my own plants and are currently waiting for some eggplants and peppers to ripen. There are dozens of tomatoes out there as well. Most of them are still green at this point, though. I'm really proud of myself for planting and maintaining this little garden. I'm even more excited for next year when I have more room and I can apply the lessons I learned from this year. We also have a pumpkin plant growing, or should I say, taking over our yard. That sucker is huge! I hope the pumpkin grows as quickly as the plant!

That's the general update. I do want to give a shout-out to my friend for the awesome crockpot receipe. Its waiting for my hubby to get home from work so we can enjoy it. It smells amazing!

dinner and flowers

**i tried to post this last night, but blogger ate my post...grr....

Dinner was super yummy tonight! I got the recipe from one of the wonderful ladies on a local message board that I frequent. The husband even enjoyed it and he doesn't like trying new things! Here is the recipe for anyone who is interested:

Mexican Pierogie Bake

Coat a 9x13 dish with cooking spray and layer:

1 box frozen pierogies

1/2 can refried beans

seasoned, cooked ground beef (I used approximately 1 lb.)

frozen corn

sliced black olives

green chilies

salsa

shredded Mexican cheese

**repeat layers for double batch

Bake covered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, uncover and bake additional 15 minutes. Top with sour cream and guacamole.

Also, I know that I promised some pics of the new grass. Well, that hasn't happened yet, but I do have some pictures of my yellow roses that are blooming away, so that will have to do for now.

grass!

If you look back at previous posts you will see one about my atrocious backyard. It was overgrown with a delerious amount of annuals and poison ivy. Well, that has all been cleared out and we now have grass growing! It's a little patchy and we didn't do all of it yet because I'm leaving some space for a vegetable garden, but it is very exciting to us! The most amazing part is how quickly it seems to pop up. Last night there was one area that was just beginning to fill in and this morning when we took the dog out, the grass seemed to have multiplied overnight! Thank God for rain!
I was going to snap a few pics to post, but since it is raining, that will have to wait until tomorrow.